Sanchi Stupa

Sanchi is a small village in Raisen District of the state of Madhya Pradesh,
India, it is located 46 km north east of Bhopal, and 10 km from Besnagar and
Vidisha in the central part of the state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the location
of several Buddhist monuments dating from the third century BCE to the twelfth
century CE and is one of the important places of Buddhist pilgrimage. It is a
nagar panchayat in Raisen district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.
Toranas surround the Stupa and they each represent love, peace, trust, and
courage.The 'Great Stupa' at Sanchi was originally commissioned by the emperor
Ashoka the Great in the third century BCE. Its nucleus was a simple
hemispherical brick structure built over the relics of the Buddha. It was
crowned by the chatra, a parasol-like structure symbolising high rank, which was
intended to honour and shelter the relics.

History

The stupa was vandalized at one point, sometime in the second century BCE, an
event some have related to the rise of the Sunga emperor Pusyamitra Sunga. It
has been suggested that Pushyamitra may have destroyed the original stupa, and
his son Agnimitra rebuilt it.[2] During the later rule of the Sunga, the stupa
was expanded with stone slabs to almost twice its original size. The dome was
flattened near the top and crowned by three superimposed parasols within a
square railing. With its many tiers it was a symbol of the dharma, the Wheel of
the Law. The dome was set on a high circular drum meant for circumambulation,
which could be accessed via a double staircase. A second stone pathway at ground
level was enclosed by a stone balustrade with four monumental gateways (toranas)
facing the cardinal directions. The buildings which seem to have been
commissioned during the rule of the Sungas are the Second and Third stupas (but
not the highly decorated gateways, which are from the following Satavahana
period, as known from inscriptions), and the ground balustrade and stone casing
of the Great Stupa.

Architecture

The Stupa at Sanchi is one the most wonderful structures of ancient India. It has
been included by the UNESCO as one of the heritage sites of the world. The
Sanchi Stupa is a fine example of the development of the Buddhist architecture
and sculpture beginning from the 3rd century B.C. to the 12th century A.D. The
site of Sanchi was discovered in the year 1818 by General Taylor and an
archaeological museum was established in 1919y Sir John Marshall.